


Last Journey

by ProPinkist



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Angst, Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post 100+ Spoilers, So much angst, dragon family feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 14:16:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4669688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProPinkist/pseuds/ProPinkist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was nothing they could do for their king anymore... but hopefully this would suffice, even if only a little.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last Journey

**Author's Note:**

> The first time I write the original dragons, and I write THIS. I'm so sorry for Angst City here and for probably butchering the characters so much. Tsundere Shuten and wimpy Abi are the worst offenders. Also, Zeno is probably ooc seeing as how I placed this after his conversation with Hiryuu about his powers... though I felt it made more sense to put it after than before, if I had to choose. *sigh* Sorry for the cliche and the OOC; hopefully my next thing with them won't be as bad.

“Guys... how about we take the king out somewhere today?”

Three weary pairs of eyes turned to look at Zeno from his position at the breakfast table, and he fidgeted under their gazes.

It had been a few months now since King Hiryuu’s heath had first started to deteriorate. He had always been rather delicate, although he could still hold his own in a fight on the battlefield if it was absolutely necessary. But then one day, he fell victim to an illness that he had never seemed to truly recover from. It was if his spirit, his will to live, had been sucked out of him completely, leaving behind someone who barely resembled the bright and energetic king they had once known at all. They visited him often in his bedroom, (having nothing else to do besides fighting off more of those who would invade Kouka) and every day Hiryuu looked paler, thinner, and weaker. And each day, their own hearts broke more and more, not just because of the dragons’ blood inside of them that bound them to him, but also because of their own, human connection they had made with the king they loved so much. Just in the last few weeks, the four dragon warriors had begun to fear what they would find when they entered his room each time. Because they all knew what was happening, even if they didn’t want to admit it.

King Hiryuu was dying.

They had all reached their breaking point, Zeno knew. It was bound to be any day now, and there was nothing they could do for him anymore. Nothing that could even come close to thanking him for everything he had done for them, at least. But they could at least do this; if not for him, then for their own peace of mind.

Abi was the first one to respond. “Take him... out?” he repeated quietly, trying to understand what Zeno meant.

“Yes,” he nodded. “He’s been in his room for so long... he would probably like to see the sunshine again, get some air.” _Before the end_ , were the unspoken words that everyone understood. Zeno smiled brightly, trying not to falter.

“...He wouldn’t agree to that,” Shuten mumbled, looking down. “He’d say it wasn’t necessary, say he didn’t want to trouble us... say it wouldn’t do any good...” He sucked in a breath, concentrating hard on his plate as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world, not wanting to lose control of himself.

Zeno glanced over at Guen, the only one who hadn’t spoken yet. After a few moments of pondering, he stood up and nodded, a determined look on his face.

“That’s a good idea. Let’s do it. With all due respect to His Majesty’s wishes... after being there for so long, that room should not be the last thing he sees. ...As a human.”

Abi stood up too, smiling sadly. “I agree. I don’t care what he will say... he needs it. ...W-We need it.” His voice cracked a little, but he wiped his eyes and nodded.

Zeno happily jumped up. “Alright then!” He turned toward the Green Dragon, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, Shuten. Looks like you were outvoted.”

Shuten sighed, getting up as well and following the others to the doorway. “I was never against it; I was just saying the king wouldn’t like it. But you all are right of course... we need to do _something_ for him, his wishes be damned.”

 

* * *

 

“Oh, it’s all of you! What a lovely surprise.”

Hiryuu smiled up at the four tiredly, obviously pleased to see them all. It made Zeno happy that just their mere presence was enough to make him happy. They were mostly useless to him now, as he no longer needed protecting (at least, not from what they _could_ protect him from) and had for the most part created the kingdom he had always desired... but from the day he had met them he had treated them as friends, as brothers, and not as subordinates, and the companionship they provided was what really mattered to him. It was the same for them, even if Shuten probably wouldn’t admit it.

Zeno flopped onto the bed, sitting beside Hiryuu, and the king put his arm around his shoulder gently. If he was suspicious as to why the Yellow Dragon seemed so cheerful after their conversation two days ago, he didn’t say anything. Abi slowly sat down on the end of the bed, looking back at the king, and Guen and Shuten came around to stand near him on the side.

“How are you feeling today?” Abi asked tentatively. They all knew it was pointless to ask; the king would always give the same answer, despite what they all knew to be the truth deep down: that he would never be getting better. It was just a ritual at this point, something they had to do to keep up the denial, and the king played along for this reason.

“Well, no worse then usual,” Hiryuu replied quietly, as expected. Everyone fell silent for a long while, the tension palpable, until Guen finally spoke.

“King, we were wondering if you might like to go outside today. It’s a beautiful day, and I could carry you easily.” In truth, any of them probably could have done it even without the White Dragon’s arm, but of course no one said this. “We could go anywhere you wish to go.”

“Outside...?” Hiryuu’s eyes widened. “That... would be nice... I have missed it. ...But carrying me would get tiresome rather quickly, I imagine. I couldn’t ask that of you,” he said softly.

Zeno shook his head. “No! It wouldn’t be a problem at all; right Guen?” He looked up at the White Dragon, who nodded firmly. “It would be good for you, to feel the sun and wind again! You’ve been stuck in this room for so very long... Please, King? For us?”

Something in Zeno’s eyes made Hiryuu sense how important this was, and he glanced at Abi and Shuten, who nodded as well. He looked back at Guen. “...Alright, if you really do not mind. One last journey together...” He trailed off, realizing what he had said, and looked down sadly.

“Well, I’m glad you agreed,” Guen smirked, pulling the sheets off of the bed after Zeno had gotten up. “‘Cause we were planning on doing this no matter what you said.” He put his arms around his beloved king and lifted him up gently, cradling him, and putting all his focus into controlling the strength in his dragon arm, lest he hurt him. Zeno walked next to him and held onto Hiryuu’s free hand, and the king squeezed back weakly.

 

* * *

 

“So warm...” Zeno sighed happily as he spun around slowly in the courtyard. It reminded him of those nostalgic days from before, back when everything was (relatively) peaceful, and he didn’t yet know the extent of his powers... The day that he had been given the medallion was the first sign of the looming darkness to come, he felt...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of coughing.

“King?!” Guen exclaimed frantically, setting Hiryuu down on the grass and putting his hand on his back, as the king coughed violently. Abi and Shuten ran around to his sides and sat down, helping to support him as well. Zeno finally stumbled down himself, rubbing the king’s hands, not knowing what else to do. They all held onto Hiryuu tightly, listening to him struggle to breathe and praying it would be over soon. Zeno wanted to cry. _Maybe this was a bad idea after all... if all it does is make him feel worse._

Finally, it was over. “I-I am sorry, everyone,” Hiryuu said shakily, still rather winded. “I suppose... it was because of the air... something I’m not used to. I... think I will be fine now; do not worry.” He smiled hollowly.

_Don’t worry?!_ Zeno screamed internally. He felt sick at the thought that this might be a common occurrence at this point, and yet none of them had even realized it had gotten so bad. _He probably tries to hide it when we’re around... some friends we are._

“I-It’s okay,” Abi said, his voice betraying his emotions. He stroked Hiryuu’s back slowly, trying not to cry, trying not to _think_.

“Yeah,” Guen agreed, his ability to keep himself together commendable. “If it happens again, we’ll be here, don’t worry.” He smiled, and it almost looked real. “Where do you want to go? Just say the word.”

“...Let’s just stay here for awhile; it’s so warm... feels wonderful...” Hiryuu nudged away the hands holding him up, and slowly lay down in the grass, his eyes closing and a smile spreading across his face.

Zeno’s heart lurched. “W-Wait!” he cried, jumping forward and landing on top of the king. Hiryuu laughed, sounding almost like how he used to. “Join me, my friends.”

“So sappy, you are,” Shuten teased, but his face showed happiness. They all lay down as well; Zeno first, then the king, Abi, Guen, and Shuten. Zeno felt Hiryuu reach for his hand tenderly, and he knew the others were joining hands too, the Green Dragon still keeping up the pretense of being annoyed. Zeno closed his eyes, tears coming to them, and wished that this moment could be frozen forever _(like he was most likely was). Please, don’t take him away from us yet._

 

* * *

 

When Zeno woke up, it was evening.

_Were we asleep for that long?!_ He sat up quickly, and then realized he was the only one there. _So_ I _was the only one who overslept... and they didn’t wake me up._ He cursed internally, then stood up, trying to spot the others. _I guess they wandered off somewhere else, somewhere that looked different from here for the King... unless..._ His brain automatically went to the worst possible scenario, and he started running frantically, trying to calm his heart. _They most certainly would have woken me if that had happened... r-right? It’s nothing! I’m just being paranoid!_

“Guen! Abi! Shuten!” He paused. _“...King!_ Where are you guys?!”

“Over here, Zeno!” he heard someone call. He turned in the direction of the voice, and spotted the small figures of the other three dragons near the river in the distance. To his immense relief, he also could make out the curtain of red hair as he got closer. _Thank goodness..._

“How could you guys let me oversleep?!” Zeno exclaimed, panting as he came to a halt. “Sorry,” Guen said, grinning. “But the king insisted that we shouldn’t wake you, since you looked so peaceful. It hasn’t been very long since we woke up, I promise.” Zeno huffed in response.

Hiryuu was sitting at the edge of the river, his legs in the water with his robe hiked up; Abi was supporting him from behind like before. “He didn’t want to dip his feet in at first, saying it wasn’t proper, but we convinced him.” Shuten said, clearly pleased with himself. “I said ‘proper’ didn’t matter anymore, that he should be able to do whatever he wants to now.”

“Yeah, he should,” Zeno nodded, willing his mind to not go further. He sat down beside Hiryuu, smiling at the calm, happy look on his face, clearly enjoying the feel of the water and the breeze.

“It’s beautiful,” the king whispered, staring at the reflection of the setting sun on the river.

“It is, isn’t it?” Abi said, moving around to the side of Hiryuu and motioning for the others to sit down too.

It wasn’t long before it had grown dark, but no one made a move to leave. The moonlight shining on the water was the most breathtaking sight of all, and they all could still see clearly even without the Blue Dragon’s eyes. It was the same as before, with the five of them doing nothing but being together and enjoying each others’ presence, but it was all each of them needed.

But again, Zeno’s dreams were destroyed by the harsh reality in front of him.

Hiryuu doubled over as he began to cough again, just as badly as before. The four dragons said nothing, just crowded around their king and hugged him as tightly as they dared, trying to comfort him in his pain, their hearts breaking knowing that there was nothing else they could do, no matter how much they wished to. _Why can’t we do something?!_ Zeno cried, his tears finally escaping him, and seeing those of the others too. _Why does it have to be like this?! Why must he be taken away from us?! WHY?!?!_

The end was nigh, they all knew.

“K-King...” Abi whispered, once the fit was over after what felt like an eternity. He grabbed hold of his hand, as if it would give him some stability.

“...I’m so sorry, everyone,” Hiryuu said, his voice thin. “A dragon’s soul is not meant to remain in a human body for so long; the body cannot handle it. I-I came here because I loved humans, and I have done what I wanted to do... so soon I must return to the heavens to be with my dragon brothers again.” He began to cry himself, and that was when the dam broke for everyone else.

_“NO!”_ Shuten yelled, startling everyone. “That... that’s _not right!_ Not... _fair_.” He sounded like a little kid, which normally would have annoyed him immensely, but no one thought to tease him in the slightest. “I... I know it’s not fair for us to want you to stay with us... your _true_ dragon brothers deserve you more than we do. We’re just lowly humans slightly mutated by dragons’ blood, is all. B-but still... you don’t deserve to go back like _this!_ ”

_I’ve never heard him sound this way_ , Zeno thought. _...He’s very kind, underneath his tough exterior_.

“P-please, don’t leave us alone, King... Hiryuu,” Abi wept, clutching him tighter. “We all love you, so much... Our powers may be a burden in some ways, but we were given a _purpose_ by you! New lives! To stay by your side, a-and serve you, and protect you... and be your brothers...” He cried harder. “Without you... what will we do...”

“Everyone...” Hiryuu’s voice cracked. He weakly joined them all in the group hug, trying to hold them as tightly as he could. “I’m sorry... I’m _so sorry_. I know how cruel it is of me. If I could, I would stay here with you, and grow old with you, and die alongside you, I would.” Zeno stiffened at that, but he didn’t think ill of the king for saying what he did. “I love you all, my sweet, little dragons... I’m so grateful to have met you, to have you protect me, and become my family. Words are not enough to show my gratitude.” He pulled away slowly, and looked at each of them in turn, eyes shining.

“Please, promise me you will remain happy after I am gone. Stay together, remain a family; don’t let my absence tear your bond apart. You can remain here; my wife and son will welcome you warmly. ...Or, you can leave, if you truly wish it. ...All I ask is that you do not become distant because of me. Please... for your king.”

After a heavy silence, Guen spoke.

“I promise, King. Thank you for everything,” he said solemnly, still crying a bit. Hiryuu nodded, patting his shoulder. He turned to Abi next.

“...Alright, King Hiryuu. I...I will try. I’m sorry for acting so childishly,” Abi said, still emotional. Hiryuu shook his head, and wiped away Abi’s tears, kissing his forehead gently. “It is alright. Just knowing how much you grieve for me means more to me than I can say.” Abi leaned forward and hugged the king again, unable to stop himself.

“...Y-you idiot king,” Shuten blurted, furiously wiping his face. “I will do as you ask, because it’s your last request... but I will _never_ think that this was right, not at all. ...If you want to stay here, you should be able to do that, stupid dragon soul crap be damned.” He leaned down, seemingly out of energy after his rant.

“I know, Shuten, I know,” Hiryuu replied sadly, putting his hand on his arm. “...But I knew this would happen eventually when I first made my decision to come to the earth. I wanted to be with humans, to help them, to love them... even if only for a short time. ...I hope one day, you will be able to understand why I did it, despite the consequences.”

Finally, the king turned to Zeno.

He saw the tears on Hiryuu’s face as the king looked at him, and he knew what it was about. “...Please don’t worry about me, king... I will be fine!” Zeno smiled brightly. He didn’t want to say too much with the others around, but he could already tell they sensed that this went beyond just Hiryuu’s impending death. _It’s alright. I don’t need to know... anything more than I already do._

The king reached forward and hugged him, still crying softly. “I’m sorry, Zeno,” he whispered into his ear. “I’m so sorry... I wish there was something I could do for you... something, _anything_... If I could still be here, then I could at least stay with you... as useless as that would be. ...I did not need a fourth warrior to protect me, if it meant you could have been spared this pain.”

“...Thank you, King Hiryuu... I will be alright, since I have your necklace. As long as I wear it, it will give me strength, remind me that you are watching over me... always.”

Hiryuu pulled back and tried to smile, kissing Zeno’s forehead. “I hope you will find happiness, no matter how small, someday... my brave little Yellow Dragon.”

All four of the dragons crowded around Hiryuu again, holding him tightly, and not once entertaining the thought of returning to the castle, as late as it was. They wanted to spend however many fleeting moments remained with their brother, burning this image and this feeling into their minds forever _(but only truly forever for one of them)_.

_I won’t forget_ , Zeno silently promised. _Never, no matter how long I live_.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, they found King Hiryuu in his eternal sleep, from which he would never awaken.

He was smiling.


End file.
